“Night Prowler” is a song on AC-DC’s “Highway to Hell” album, released in 1979. However, it wasn’t until June 28, 1984, that the song became associated with Richard Ramirez, a serial killer also known as “The Night Stalker”. Ramirez gained notoriety in May 1985. His reign of terror started in June 1984 when he viciously attacked Jennie Vincow while she slept. He stabbed her multiple times in the chest, slit her throat, and almost decapitated her, leaving her dead body behind.
However, the horror persisted until Ramirez engaged in sexual activity with the lifeless body of the seventy-nine year old. Richard would not strike again for nearly nine months. In March of 1985, a 22-year-old woman named Angela Barrio was attacked outside her condominium. He shot her with the intention of killing her, and then proceeded to enter the residence and kill Dayle Okazaki. Angela survived because the bullet Richard fired had deflected off the keys she was holding. Approximately an hour later in Monterey Park, another woman became a victim of Richard’s gunfire. Tsai-Lian Yu, aged thirty, was forcibly taken from her car and shot. Unfortunately, she passed away before the arrival of paramedics.
Ten days later, the serial killer targeted Vincent and Maxine Zazzarra. Vincent was killed quickly, while Maxine sustained multiple stab wounds. The killer then proceeded to mutilate her by carving a “T” on her left breast and removing her eyes. These horrifying acts were carried out post-mortem. However, the valuable evidence that the killer left behind in the form of footprints and bullets matched those found at previous crime scenes. It was at this point that law enforcement authorities recognized the presence of a serial killer.
